Richard Westall, Portrait of a Woman seated in a Landscape
with a spaniel, watercolour and bodycolour over graphite

England, 1793

Richard Westall (1765–1836) lived
with the family of his close friend Thomas Lawrence from 1790 to
1794. During this period both artists produced a series of
watercolours and pastels of young men, women and children out of
doors.

The landscape is used to re-enforce and
reflect the character and sentiment of the figures. Flowers
scattered on grassy banks echo the colours in their clothes and
trees with flowing branches echo the folds of their dresses,
sashes, feathers and curls.

As groups of figures, the paintings are scenes
of friendship, love and family. However, this solitary figure of an
unknown woman instead evokes absent love and melancholy. This is
emphasised by the red flames of love-lies-bleeding among the pure
and innocent lilies.

Westall had entered the Royal Academy Schools
in 1785. His exhibits at the RA received positive reviews and in
1794 he was made a full academician.

L. Binyon, Catalogue of Drawings by British Artists and
Artists of Foreign Origin Working in Great Britain in the
Collection of the British Museum, (London,
1898–1907)